Get all 19 Hemlock Smith releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Small Change World, Live @ CCC Festival (May 5th, 2020), Hemlock Smith & les Poissons Autistes: "The Necrophone Sessions", The Ghost Parade, St.Louis (Webcam Version), I can only see the Darkness_DEMO, Medusa EP, By the Grace of Dynamite, and 11 more.
1. |
Elusive
03:19
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Elusive
I guess it’s my way and the highway
As the joker used to quip
The bonds of my attachment
Scramble loose just when I quit
So I guess this means departure
Is really where I stand
It means cowardice will capture -
Each and every one at hand.
Well I don’t want to be here
I’m elusive to the core
Oh, I don’t want to be here
When the ghosts
Come knocking on my door
And my final destination
Is where it all began
The road to plain damnation -
In a battered old Sedan,
I can always feel this shadow
In the place right where I stood
Lone bullet or the arrow
Just might hit me – and I think it should.
No I don’t want to be here
Somewhere else forevermore
Oh, I don’t want to be here
When the ghosts
When the ghosts
Come knocking on my door
Well I don’t want to be here
I’m elusive to the core
Oh, I don’t want to be here
When the ghosts of this old sinner
Come knocking down my door.
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2. |
The Jive
03:09
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The Jive
The sun is rising in the east, volcano in my skull
What it sheds some light upon is plain and pretty dull
But I’m doing the Jive
I’m glad to be alive
I battle hard for some ideas but I don’t have a plan
Even struggle to remember my short attention span
But I’m doing the Jive
I’m so glad to be alive
(I’m doing the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(I’m doing the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(Let’s do the Jive…) - Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
I’m shooting blanks, right from the hip; the sun is heading west
Let’s party now and call it quits; the things that I do best
Let’s do the Jive
We’re just glad to be alive
We’ll settle all our politics around brandy and a beer
If Brandy is somebody’s name we’ll give an extra cheer
We’re doing the Jive
We’re so glad to be alive
*
So let’s move around in circles and dislocate our brains
If the ending’s close to the way it goes, we’ll never dance again
Let’s do the Jive
And be glad to be alive…
(I’m doing the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(Let’s do the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(Let’s do the Jive…) - Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(one more time…)
(I’m doing the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(Let’s do the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(Let’s do the Jive…) - Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
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3. |
The Spirit of Nebraska
04:06
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The Spirit of Nebraska
I never listened to Nebraska
‘Cause I dug Spirit a lot
Amidst our everyday assassins
It was everything I got
The angst of being teenaged
The weight of being alone
With every fibre being rampaged
I was angry to the bone.
Gee, all the records I have stored
To feel something
Gee, every song burned to the core
Let the light in
Found the Spirit
Found the Spirit
Of my Nebraskan state
And then I listened to Nebraska
But I dug Spirit a lot
Hunched down on my 4-track
It was everything I got
The hope of being different
Knowing I was the same
Those clumsy chords I put down
They kept me in the game
Gee, all the records I have stored
To feel something
Gee, every song burned to the core
Let the light in
Found the Spirit
Found the Spirit
Of my Nebraskan state
I still listen to Nebraska
And I dig Spirit a lot
The times they are uncertain
It’s still everything I’ve got
Against the paramount of sadness
Against the overwhelming pain
I still try to find my Eden
My Nebraska in the rain
Gee, all the records I have stored
To feel something
Gee, every song burned to the core
Let the light in
Found the Spirit
Found the Spirit
Of my Nebraskan state
Of my Nebraskan state
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4. |
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I can only see the darkness
I can only see the darkness
And I can never be quite sure
If the light there at this tunnel
Is the illness or the cure
I can only see the darkness
I’m way too old to just ignore, that
The days aren’t getting any longer, baby
And we’re freezing at the core.
*
I can only see the darkness
And I can never be quite sure
If all the sorrow round this table
Makes us cold or just demure
I can only see the darkness
And I can feel it in my pores, that
We ain’t growing any stronger, baby
And we’re sorry till we’re sore.
*
I can only see the darkness
But summer says we’re still alive
So we try to make the best of it
Before we fly back to the hive.
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5. |
God (Helps Noone)
04:12
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God (Helps Noone)
Kay, she wants a baby
But Jez wants none at all
Kay is tired of maybes
But Jez is like a wall.
All fathers and daughters and mothers and sons
But God
God, he helps no one.
Kay is just a dreamer
But Jez has seen too much
Kay wants no more armours
But Jez is out of touch.
All fathers and daughters and mothers and sons
But God
God, he helps no one.
Kay, she wants to get married
Jez, he smokes in the car
But… Oh!... - If there’s only one to carry
Sure, you won’t get too far.
*
Kay, she left a letter
And holes instead of junk
She wrote: “it’s for the better”
He thinks of getting drunk.
All fathers and daughters and mothers and sons, carry on
All fathers and daughters and mothers and sons,
All fathers and daughters and mothers and sons,
All fathers and daughters and mothers and sons,
But God
Just won’t help no one.
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6. |
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Bo (Tell me what’cha know)
We used to dream ‘bout a house in flames
And a big bad wolf with a foreign name
We used to fear all the creaking sounds
And the ghost of Cain whom we never found
Oh Bo
Oh Bo, Tell me what’cha know!...
We used to bite our nails and toes (Oh! That hurt!)
When the fog lifted or when it rose
We used to wait for the voodoo child
To haunt us till the morning light
Oh Bo
Oh Bo, Tell me what’cha know!...
Anxieties are clingers
They won’t die by any sword
They hover and they linger
On the same old tired chord
The scares we slowly gather
They moan but never bend
The “maybes” and the “rathers”
Mean “Diddley” in the end! (Yeah! Yeah!)
We used to think that the mummy’s lair
Was in the backyard but it wasn’t there (Where? Where?)
We used to smile ‘bout childhood fears
But they’re lurking in our atmosphere
Oh Bo
Oh Bo, Tell me what’cha know!...
Anxieties are clingers
They won’t die by any sword
They hover and they linger
On the same old tired chord
The scares we slowly gather
They moan but never bend
The “maybes” and the “rathers”
Mean “Diddley” in the end! (Yeah! Yeah!)
Bo Diddley ‘s gonna sing a song
And Boo Radley‘s gonna sing along…
Bo Diddley Diddley Ding
Radley Radley Run!!
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7. |
Gladiator
03:29
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Gladiator
You’re a fighter – you’re a gladiator
No one is ever gonna bring you down
You’ve felt the violence, you know the perpetrators
When they tell you - you shouldn’t make a sound.
You’re a fighter – you’re a gladiator
In this arena of domestic household bliss
You know which side they’re on - friendly aggravators
Oh they won’t kill you, they’ll throw you a kiss.
You’re a fighter – you’re a gladiator
And in your sorrow still you do protect the small
You know the warning signs, the stares, oh mighty educators
You do avoid them, they say you couldn’t have it all.
You couldn’t have it all…
You’re a fighter – you’re a gladiator
The urban jungle just made sure you are a slut
You know the path they’re on, self-appointed vindicators
The sudden, devious plots –
To touch your butt -
Fuck you in the parking lot.
I don’t know how you do it.
Fuck you in the parking lot.
(I don’t know how you do it…)
(I don’t know how you do it…)
You’re a fighter – you’re a gladiator
No one is ever gonna bring you down
The world seems brighter when you don’t play the moderator
You just made sure of that; you were lost and now you’re found
You’re a fighter – you’re a gladiator
No one is ever gonna bring you down
Your own world to fight in – kill the king – incinerator
You just make sure of that; dog becomes the hound.
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8. |
Drizzle (CD Bonus Track)
05:56
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Drizzle
She slid across the marbled aisles
Like a creature from a film
Expressionless, but running wild
Like the ghost from Canterville
She hovered through the open door
Eventually reached my chair
Then flew across my every pore
As if I weren’t there
And the drizzle - Hit the windows
Like knives
And the drizzle
Drenched the curtains –
Curtains
Like November
Like November.
*
She kissed me from the inside out
And licked my trembling gut
She stole my breath and sucked, devout
My illusions left to rot
You’ll find me in the corridors
Or cowering in the crypt
My burning soul forever sore
Of promise ; nondescript
And the drizzle - Hit my temples
Like bricks
And the drizzle
Hits the marble –
Marble
Like regret.
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9. |
Calcutta (In a Nutshell)
02:57
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Calcutta (In a Nutshell)
I’ve never once been to Calcutta
Waited months for the monsoon
I’ve never once been to Samoa
Where mosquitoes cloud the moon
I’ve never even seen Niagara
Fell from heaven, into the well
In a Nutshell.
It serves me well …
And I don’t know how you do it
‘Cos I won’t even try
Oh I don’t know how you do it
‘Cos I won’t even try
I’ve never once been to Calcutta
Holy Cow ! Amazing Grace !
I’ve never once been to Samoa
Me and the Jungle, face to face
I’ve never even seen Niagara
Crossed the rapids, rang the bell
In a Nutshell
It serves me well …
And I don’t know how you do it
‘Cos I won’t even try
Oh I don’t know how you do it
‘Cos I won’t even try
My trip around the world
Is being here with you
But if you travel the world
I’ll be right here with you…
Right here
Right here…
With you….
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10. |
Wasteland
04:52
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Wasteland
Beware the minefield
Beware the wasteland
If you don’t see it now, I don’t think you can
Beware the end zones
Beware the graveyards
If you don’t know by now, you won’t understand
Been squaring out these circles
Terraforming plains
Been so in touch with hurting
We can’t feel the –
feel the pain
Beware the sorrow
Beware the changes
If you don’t get it now you’ll never guess
Been dodging all these hurdles
Making love in vain
Yet underneath the surface
We can feel the –
feel the pain
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11. |
The Fleeting You
04:53
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The Fleeting You
I stood and watched you from the crowd
How could it be that you’re so beautiful?
How could it be
That you’re so beautiful?
Some folks were screaming awfully loud
But I was perfectly enthralled by you
I didn’t hear
I didn’t hear a single sound.
*
I saw you stand out from the crowd
Is it a spell you cast, like lovers do?
A favor asked –
Is it a rope you threw?
When even prouder heads are bowed
In daily lives and somewhat narrow views
I stood and stared
I stood and dared – just to look at you
*
Now, I’ll return back to the crowd
The fleeting you I saw was wonderful
The fleeting you
Almost meeting you, there – in the crowd.
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12. |
Mr. Tambourine
04:44
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Mr. Tambourine
We were fifteen and the band was going to be famous
Worshipped and loved, modern gods of rock and roll
There was the singer, so cocky, drop dead gorgeous
And the guitarist, he wrote the tunes and looked so cool
And in the pictures, in the corner, while rehearsing
There was this guy playing the tambourine
Mr. Tambourine - Mr. Tambourine
Mr. Tambourine - Mr. Tambourine
Then we took jobs, and careers just kind of happened
Life deals the cards, but never on a whim
We faced the music and shit surely sounds amazing
There, from the sidelines, still dying to fit in
Right in the corner, lacking general rhythm
You’ll find this guy playing the tambourine
(Hey, Mister !)
I guess it’s time to pull myself together
And tell this story, the way it’s supposed to be told
We were fifteen - and the sky just had no limits
We were in disband, and then I fell into a hole
Well, few of us are truly bound for greatness
Fate kept me waiting till I grew tired just to think
On the verge of something, but mostly of disaster
Here’s your by-stander ; spectator ; end of scene
There in the pictures, in the corner, kinda broken
I’ll be this guy playing the tambourine
Mr. Tambourine - Mr. Tambourine
Mr. Tambourine - Mr. Tambourine
Mr. Tambourine - Mr. Tambourine
Mr. Tambourine - Mr. Tambourine
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13. |
The Jive (Alternate Mix)
02:57
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The Jive
The sun is rising in the east, volcano in my skull
What it sheds some light upon is plain and pretty dull
But I’m doing the Jive
I’m glad to be alive
I battle hard for some ideas but I don’t have a plan
Even struggle to remember my short attention span
But I’m doing the Jive
I’m so glad to be alive
(I’m doing the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(I’m doing the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(Let’s do the Jive…) - Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
I’m shooting blanks, right from the hip; the sun is heading west
Let’s party now and call it quits; the things that I do best
Let’s do the Jive
We’re just glad to be alive
We’ll settle all our politics around brandy and a beer
If Brandy is somebody’s name we’ll give an extra cheer
We’re doing the Jive
We’re so glad to be alive
*
So let’s move around in circles and dislocate our brains
If the ending’s close to the way it goes, we’ll never dance again
Let’s do the Jive
And be glad to be alive…
(I’m doing the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(Let’s do the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(Let’s do the Jive…) - Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(one more time…)
(I’m doing the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(Let’s do the Jive) - Ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
(Let’s do the Jive…) - Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’m doing the Jive
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14. |
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I can only see the darkness
I can only see the darkness
And I can never be quite sure
If the light there at this tunnel
Is the illness or the cure
I can only see the darkness
I’m way too old to just ignore, that
The days aren’t getting any longer, baby
And we’re freezing at the core.
*
I can only see the darkness
And I can never be quite sure
If all the sorrow round this table
Makes us cold or just demure
I can only see the darkness
And I can feel it in my pores, that
We ain’t growing any stronger, baby
And we’re sorry till we’re sore.
*
I can only see the darkness
But summer says we’re still alive
So we try to make the best of it
Before we fly back to the hive.
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Hemlock Smith Lausanne, Switzerland
Hemlock Smith come from Lausanne (Switzerland). Since 2002, they’ve released 7 regular albums with intelligent pop, as well as 2 soundtracks for silent film and 2 collaborations with Noise duo Les Poissons Autistes. Fronted by singer-songwriter Michael Frei, Hemlock Smith's distinctive voice is complemented by a talented band seamlessly blending Pop, Folk, Rock and Trip-Hop Sensibilities ... more
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